Zen Heart Way
Changing and Being Changed by the World
The Zen Life & Meditation Center, Chicago is committed to an active engagement with the world. We are an affiliate member of the ZenPeacemakers and we encourage our members to participate in practice opportunities for bearing witness to suffering in our community and the larger world. During the Pandemic we sewed and gave out masks for free to needy non-profits in our community. Our Zen Heart Way program, administered by our priests offers financial assistance and compassionate care for those in need. If you know of someone in need, please contact Rev. Linda Gyokuzan Warring. We invite our members to bring in canned foods and other nonperishable foods to the Center. On the first Sunday of each month we perform the Gate of Sweet Nectar service to feed the suffering of hungry ghosts. We stack all the food we have collected on the altar for this service, and afterwards donate it to Sarah’s Inn. In early 2024, we helped make dinners for Venezuelan asylum seekers who were tempoarily housed in Grace Episcopal Church.
We are available to teach mindfulness to organizations and businesses in our community. We can customize a workshop to meet the needs of your organization. We also offer other services that can help people work more skillfully with conflict such as Nonviolent Communication training and GRACE workshops to help build compassionate resilience for people working in health care or other services where chronic suffering is being addressed. To find out more about how we might be of service to your organization please call us at 708.689.1220.
Zen Heart Way is a program of the Zen Life and Meditation Center which offers assistance and compassionate care to those in need. Administered by the priests of ZLMC, and lovingly carried out with assistance of our Sangha members, we attempt to reach out to those who may be marginalized or at risk.
If you know of anyone who may need our assistance, please contact Linda Gyokuzan Warring or speak directly to any priest.
This is possible because of you. Your generosity is our sole support.
Zen Heart Way is a program of Zen Life & Meditation Center, a 501(c)(3)
Program Contact:
Rev. Linda Gyokuzan Warring
linda.warring@zlmc.org
(708) 690-1220
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Earth Stewards Circle
On November 1, 2022, our Earth Stewards took up the “NexTrex Plastic Challenge” to keep plastics out of landfills, by collecting enough plastic that could be used to make a bench. They worked with other partners such as the Euclid United Methodist Church of Oak Park, Temple Har Zion in River Forest and the Maple-Erie Townhomes Condo of Oak Park. We reached our six month goal of collecting 500 pounds of plastic on April 30, 2023.
Trex Company awarded us a 2-person bench made from this recycled plastic which we then contibuted to the Harambee Community Garden at 440 N. Waller Ave., in Chicago. It is presently being used for community events like weekly meetings of the gardening members, including musical events that occur there.
A second bench was awarded to Har Zion who acted as the host organization from May 2023 through September 2023 (5 months). During that period ZLMC, along with other organizations contributed plastic to Har Zion. The second bench was donated to the Trailside Museum on Chicago Ave. in River Forest.
Our ZLMC Earth Steward Circle took on a second challenge as of October 1, 2023. The goal is to collect 1000 pounds of plactics within 12 months Our contributing partners will now also be joined by the Harabee Community Garden.
Sarah’s Inn
On the first Sunday of each month we hold a Gate of Sweet Nectar Service to feed the suffering of hungry ghosts. For the previous month, we ask our Sangha members to bring non-perishable foods which we collect. When we do the service, we place all these foods on our altar as an offering to the hungry ghosts. After the service we donate this food to Sarah’s Inn, a non-profit organization, founded in 1980 by a group of concerned women in Oak Park and River Forest to address a lack of services for victims of domestic violence and their families.
Benefit Hula Concert for Lahaina
In August of 2023, the world was shocked to see the utter destruction of Lahaina from a fast moving fire. The Halau I Ka Pono, the Hula School of Chicago did a benefit concert for the people of Maui and Lahaina. All funds raised from the concert, $16,000 were donated to the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund to help support the recovery effort.
Our Zen Life & Meditation Center, Chicago Sangha raised an additional $1468 which was sent to the Hawaii Community Foundation.
Afghan Blanket
Stitching Sutras Circle
In the first year of the Pandemic, inspired by the history of generations of women working with their hands, we invited anyone who wanted to knit, crochet, or sew to help us create a group. Although we had to meet primarily online at that time, in 2022 we were able to donate a beautiful knitted patchwork afghan to Housing Forward. In both 2022 and 2023 we also donated hand-knitted scarves for the annual ZLMC auction to help raise money. In 2023 we also donated another beautiful knitted afghan to Sarah’s Inn. It was a communal effort (see picture below). For more information and if you’re interested in joining us, please contact Robin Sheerer at: robinsheerer@gmail.com. Beginners are welcome.
Mask Program During Pandemic
During the first year of the pandemic, when masks were not yet readily available, the Zen Life & Meditation Center made many high quality masks that were distributed for free to non-profit organizations in the Oak Park community and surrounding neighborhoods. Some of the organizations we donated to were: Housing-Forward, Village of Oak Park, the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, Oak Leyden, Lurie Children’s Hospital, Oak Park Arms, Pete’s Market, Cook County Department of Corrections, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository.